This is just sort of a thread where you can list various sudden realizations you had when you played or looked at the rules or clever things that came to you. I figured it might be fun to see if people caught stuff and what ideas we can give each other.

My biggest one was relatively recent, I was looking at the rules in Junkman cometh and I noticed that they listed the size for the ammo type the Combine uses. I had thought, "Well, I guess if you have a combine turncoat in the group or something..." Then I realized that they mentioned that the black hats carry a lot of ammo since they can usually always get more, and while their guns go kablooey you could still take their ammo and build a gun that uses it.

I felt kind of dumb for not seeing it sooner, but it does give you a way to still get some salvage from the combine. Anyone else?

I thought you couldn't use Combine ammo, because in addition to the weird caseless ammo, it's in a packaging that can only be opened by someone with a chip. Of course, if the character is playing a turncoat, then ok, but why wouldn't he have the guns too?_________________Read my blog! Untold Tales of the Teen Templars!

I thought you couldn't use Combine ammo, because in addition to the weird caseless ammo, it's in a packaging that can only be opened by someone with a chip. Of course, if the character is playing a turncoat, then ok, but why wouldn't he have the guns too?

I remember something like that too, but was looking and couldn't find it, so I wasn't sure if I just made it up in my head..._________________Ju Ju

Next moment comes from Doomsayers, and it's 50% "Huh?" and 50% "Whoa...", and I guarantee everyone seeing this has had that moment.

The first time your local Doomy uses the Nuke power. This goes double if the Marshal knows what the power really does (such as blast radius...) and the Doomsayer didn't know it THAT well. This was responsible for my first character death

Everything the Combine uses is trapped. The guns, the ammo, the car starter. Everything. I find it amusing the levels that Shane+ went to so that you can't use anything from the Combine. Which is funny, because the guns really aren't that great.

I agree with the laser sight thing. I can build sensors that can tell if you are lying, advanced medical equipment, and a invisible (literally invisible) jet, but I can't make something like a laser sight. The same goes for some of the Scrapper systems. You can't make systems like the rotating knee, the radio (that many channels makes it the size of a man), or oddly, a Soul Tap.

When stuff like this comes up, I just fudge them into existing rules. I wrote out some rules for making laser sights, magazines (hello), silencers using Gunsmith. For a Soul Tap, I would just modify the rules for a Spirit Fetter, using the patient's own soul instead of a manitou. I figure it's a little easier to make, given that the patient is probably willing.

A funny thing I just noticed last night was in Last Crusaders. There is an elaborate description of how a Templar with the Scavenger Greater Reward can just find Air Force One. Given how big a deal this became in the metaplot, I find this odd._________________28/12/09 Scooter just bought a Deadlands book... In a Japanese Gaming store... And the clerk knew what it was. Awesome.

1) It says on page 39 under Making a Spirit Battery "quote" "These are much lighter than the collectors used to charge them (covered below) and donít generate any heat." Well, if you do the math, it takes 1 oz Ghost Rock and 1 Structural component. Sructural components weigh about 3 lbs each. So for every 10 GR the battery weighs 3 lbs. A g-Ray collector weighs 10 lbs.

2) By using this same rules for weight of components, even small items will weigh quite a bit. I built a energy blade (lightsaber) using shield and weaponsmth powers. Its total weight was around 25 Lbs for something the size of an average flashlight.

1) It says on page 39 under Making a Spirit Battery "quote" "These are much lighter than the collectors used to charge them (covered below) and donít generate any heat." Well, if you do the math, it takes 1 oz Ghost Rock and 1 Structural component. Sructural components weigh about 3 lbs each. So for every 10 GR the battery weighs 3 lbs. A g-Ray collector weighs 10 lbs.

2) By using this same rules for weight of components, even small items will weigh quite a bit. I built a energy blade (lightsaber) using shield and weaponsmth powers. Its total weight was around 25 Lbs for something the size of an average flashlight.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, in the book(s) say that you use all of the mass of your components; a few things indicate that you mutilate components into an otherwise unusable form, and such mutilation usually reduces the weight of the final product.
Nothing I can remember, nor nothing I've found, says how heavy a spirit battery is. Just that they are much less than 10 pounds. _________________"Got a problem? I've got the solution: Rocket Launcher."
"Not against a Servitor."
"... We're all gonna die."